title: Risk heterogeneity and recurrent violent victimization: the role of DRD4.
abstract: For some people, victimization comes with significant costs. One of these costs is the likelihood of being victimized a subsequent time. Unfortunately, research shows that a portion of victims do in fact experience more than one victimization. Although this likelihood has been established, the reasons why some people are victimized more than once are not fully understood. One explanation centers on individual risk factors that, if left unchanged, will increase risk of further victimization. Previously unstudied, however, are genetic factors that may place and keep a victim at risk, even after an initial victimization. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, the current study addresses this gap. The findings reveal that there is in fact a genetic factor, the 7R allele of the DRD4 gene, that distinguishes individuals who have been victimized once from those who have been victimized multiple times.
authors.affiliation: Department of Criminal Justice, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30302-4018, USA. Idaigle@gsu.edu
authors.forename: Leah E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Daigle
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005824:Genetics, Behavioral; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011110:Polymorphism, Genetic; D050638:Receptors, Dopamine D4 / Q000235:genetics*; D012008:Recurrence; D012306:Risk; D014481:United States
chemical_list: C493599:DRD4 protein, human; D050638:Receptors, Dopamine D4